When the Moon Hits the Sky....

Oh my...August was such a busy month for me it melted into September.  And by melted I mean I came back to
triple digit temperatures and well....melted. 

The weather was glorious while it lasted though.  In August we celebrated my mom's August Bunco
"Under the Tuscan Moon" 

The evening didn't go exactly as planned

(does it ever?)

but it was glorious just the same. 

We spent the entire evening in the
"Porkadillo"

and it couldn't have been any more perfect. 

Kevin had brought in a wheelbarrow full of wood that is still there, waiting to be called upon,

to warm our first cool fall evening. 

Ours was perfect...as is.

Welcome to our dining experience...

Everything is ready in anticipation of Diana's guests...

 Our gorgeous April Cornell sunflower

tablecloth was our inspiration.

Yellow dishes...sunflowers....and

Dean, ready to lend a song

 

 Mom's yellow dishes

always make an appearance for August bunco.

We paired them with green and brown napkins adorned

with a raffia tied sunflower

Fun and festive

You can't have Italian without Red Pepper flakes

to spice things up.

and of course the Vino

I always love do get the Chianti in these

basket bottles.

It makes me feel Italian

All we need now are a few guests

My friend Tammy made our invitations and our

bunco score sheets. 

Everything was so cute.

Menu:

Appetizers

 

Vegetables and Fiesta Dip

(with Jicama of course)

Kristi's fabulous Bruschetta

Main Course

Italian Chopped Salad
with Balsamic and Olive Oil dressing

Roasted Red Pepper Eggplant Parmesan

Sausage, Cheese and Basil Pizza

Pine Nut and Feta Angel Hair Pasta

(another one of Kristi's fabulous creations)

Dessert

Italian Cheesecake

(do I dare say it??? another

delicious creation by Kristi,

and did I mention she is

the most fantastic partner to work with

when we are having any sort of party?)

Kristi....did we take pictures of that delicious food or did we just eat it, as soon as it came out of the oven?

Tammy and me

We ate, drank, talked, laughed and

maybe played a game or two of bunco.

What we didn't do was karaoke.

but that just gives us an excuse for another

party.

Not that we need an excuse of course.

Bunco only started my August festivities...next up

Stacy, James and Bella come for a visit.

Inspired...

I was walking through the Game Room

the other morning and there was

my mom watching yet another cooking show. 

This one was Ina

(one of our very favorites)

making one of my mom's all time favorites....

eggplant.

We love eggplant in our house,

all but Kevin who thinks it's rather mushy.

Maybe, but we love it anyway. 

This recipe looked so good, I watched the rest

of the show and then went straight to the kitchen to make it.

I think I should have written it down, and when I go back to watch it again

and write down the directions,

I will probably discover I made it totally wrong.

 

Perhaps that is the "C" student in me, right Kristi?

You start by sauteing cubed eggplant and onions

in olive oil and BUTTER

(I did say it was Ina)

I actually blanched tomatoes from my garden

 used them in my sauce, as well as my fresh basil. 

I was so proud.

Throw in some whole garlic cloves too.

a little fresh fettuccine

My finished pasta. 

You actually cube mozzarella

and fresh mozzarella and add it to the pasta and sauce, as

well as Parmesan cheese.

It was delicious but not so low cal.

I also used fresh garden ingredients in my salad. 

I am looking forward to next year's garden so

I can put what I learned this year to good use.

Perhaps I can strive to be that

"A"

student I know I can be ;)

If you like eggplant, this is definitely

worth making.

Mr. Pig has a Party ...

Mr. Pig had decided that the Porkadillo

was ready enough to

accept visitors...

so he planned a small dinner party.

My friend Kris'  birthday is in March

and since

March is the craziest part of tax season

I can never seem to get my act together

enough to have her

and her husband for birthday dinner.

Mr. Pig has come up with a solution...

celebrate

Mrs. Grover's birthday in June....

lovely idea I thought.

So our first official party in the "Pork"

was to celebrate Kris' 29th birthday.

Mr. Pig insisted I do it up right and decorate the space.

You don't have to ask me to decorate for a

party twice...

so in keeping with the colors of my seating area,

I used brown, tan, aqua and a bit of

goldish yellow.

(what is that color called?)

Maybe I should call it sunflower!

which I love

Mr and Mrs Grover came bearing gifts for the Porkadillo.

Their gift couldn't have been more perfect.

I love, love, love it and

he now has a place of honor on the hearth.

Kris loves sunflowers so I chose

a sunflower theme for the table.

The wood look of this table is so pretty 

 I hated to cover it up

so I used a scarf as a runner

and went with place mats instead of a

tablecloth

I had also picked up these candle holders and in keeping

with a more earthy look, filled them full of rocks.

 I used an old pitcher with a great patina as my vase.

Mr. Pig was in agreement that it

made a great pitcher...that is until it started leaking

all over everything.

We fixed that by putting a pitcher inside a pitcher.

He thought I was very clever to do that.

I also pulled out my aqua water goblets.

  I love these place mats,

they called to me when I was in our new

TJ Maxx

So there I was already for guests and only

the food to prepare.

The menu:

(Appetizer)

Roasted Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce

(Dinner)

Carne Asada

Guacamole and Salsa

Mexican Capresse Salad

Spanish Rice

Lime and Chipotle Salad

Grilled Corn with Roasted Peppers

Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries

I needed something for the (unfinished) mantel

so Senor Pig

(since the dinner had a Mexican flair

he wanted to be called senor)

came up with a great idea.

These are citronella candles that he put in glass vases.  I

helped him fill them with some left over rocks

and aqua stones.

I loved the look, and Senor Pig was tickled that

I was pleased

So I would have to say our first event was a success.

I hope the birthday girl agrees. 

We had

a splendid evening of relaxation with friends,

food and drinks

all in front of a cozy fire.

I know Senor Pig enjoyed himself...

and now he has

a new friend to keep him company.

until next time...Senor Pig says

Adios!!

Alive and Well

No Worries, I survived my 24 hour adventure. 

I can't believe it was only 24 hours. 

I think Tim and Kristi had a great time,

and I know I did. 

Mental note: 

Do not plan a dinner party when you are watching the kiddos.  Not smart. 

Sean surprised me by coming home

Saturday and was a big help. 

He made the pasta sauce

and the broccoli. 

I must share this broccoli recipe ...it's easy, and delicious. 

I will dig it up and post it today.

I do think Kristi's birthday is officially over....

until next year.

Lunch in the Lions Den

Don't be afraid, the scariest thing in the Lion's Den,

other that Rex from Toy Story is Leo,

and Leo is about as scary as Rex if you know what I mean. 

The Lion's Den is Leo's playroom.

 Today was our every 6-8 week or so mother/daughter/kiddoes luncheon.  Sheryl hosted our lunch today which was very

energetic of her.    Today marked her 20th week of pregnancy while following a around 2 year old.

She made us a lovely lunch of grilled paninis,

pasta salad, chips and delicious homemade cookies.

Everything was so delicious as usual.

She had a lovely tray to hold the paninis

and don't you just love her napkins?

Williams and Sonoma

(her favorite place)

It was just so perfect and intimate

and did I mention delicious?

The cookies were such a hit I think we emptied the dish

We were even had some professional entertainment for our dining pleasure

Leo, thanks for sharing your Lion's Den, and Sheryl thanks for

a great food, great company and a delightful afternoon.

and last but not least .... DP we love you too.